I don't care what other people do in my community, even in more natural parenting groups because there are all kinds of things they do with their kids that doesn't jive with my parenting philosophies. I'm not going to let peer pressure influence my parenting decisions.

Yes a 3 year old is safe in a properly installed, properly used forward facing harnessed seat. It's not a choice that I would make for my child in my car (primary vehicle he rides in) but I'm not in your shoes. It's true that we would all be safer rear facing and that the bones in the neck and spinal column don't start to ossify until around 4. You have made it much farther than most parents do and for that , you've done a great job, Mama.

In that same vein, I would not turn a child under 3 unless there was nothing that child would fit in and I would import a seat if I had to in order to keep a child under 2 rear facing.

My point in the community aspect is that no one would even think to keep their kids turned around past two. Pedes here only recommend until two. Fire departments and police only recommend until two and will intact tell you not to continue to keep your kid rear facing after that. That the disadvantages outway the benefit. The only reason I even knew ppl did it was from this board.
Most ppl here do it at 1 and 20lbs because that's the law.

Like I said I will keep my dd4 rf until at.least two but Idk beyond that. I would never have kept my others turned around because it would have never even been on my radar to not turn them around.